Marketed as ‘the fastest production cars in the world’. In Shelby competition trim. And for the first time, available for you to build in 1:8 scale.

The 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Semi-Competition
Agora Models gives fans of the world’s finest automobiles a unique opportunity to build and own a premium 1:8 replica model of the 1965 Shelby Cobra S/C.
One of 31 Competition cars from 1965 that became Semi-Competition, this model replicates every detail of the original Semi-Competition Cobras. Starting out as full Competition models, but denied FIA approval for the 1965 racing season, the 427 Semi-Competitions were completed as street cars, suitable for road and racing and marketed as the fastest production cars in the world.
The Cobra is a Carroll Shelby classic, described as a “delightfully mad idea made even madder: taking the ferocious 289 Cobra… and upgrading it with a massive 427”.
YOUR MODEL
Your exquisitely detailed 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C model
The original Semi-Competitions retained the oil cooler, riveted hood scoop, flared fenders, side exhausts, dual lightweight batteries, 42-gallon fuel tank, and external fuel filler of full Competition models. They were insanely, brutally quick, faster than many full-bore racing cars of the period, and can rightfully be considered the ultimate Street Cobra. Now you have the opportunity to build and own this extraordinary performance car.


Specification
Scale: 1:8
Material: Body and chassis made from zamak metal
Length: 500mm (20”)
Width: 230mm (9”)
Height: 140mm (5.5”)
Number of parts: 430
Features
- Functioning headlamps and taillights
- Engine sound when the accelerator pedal is pushed
- Stop lights go on when brake pedal is pushed
- Steering wheel operates front wheels
- Functioning, lockable, hood and door latches
- Opening fuel-filler cap
- In Shelby Guardsman Blue and LeMans white stripe competition livery
- Replica Halibrand wheels and Goodyear tyres






The Shelby Cobra
Illustrated book
FREE with all purchases of this model
A beautiful ‘coffee-table’ book, with stunning images captured by renowned photographer David Newhardt.
The book uses ‘lay-flat’ technology to avoid the spine fold interfering with the photographs.
Upgrade to the Limited-Edition Collector’s Pack
To celebrate the exclusive launch of this legendary Shelby classic, in addition to the standard 1:8 model, Agora Models are offering Limited Edition Shelby Cobra 427 S/C Collector’s Packs
(strictly limited to 427 worldwide).
YOUR UNIQUE LIMITED EDITION
PERSONALISED DISPLAY STAND

Your Special Edition 1965 Cobra 427 S/C comes on this beautiful, show-quality stand, featuring the iconic Shelby and Cobra Snake logos. As part of a limited production run, your display stand will be individually numbered 1–427
(You have the option to choose your limited-edition number).

Your Unique Limited-Edition Shelby Cobra 427 Features:
- All the features of our regular 1:8 model, PLUS:
- Your unique limited-edition number is displayed on the license plate (e.g. COBRA 123)
- Beautiful, show-stand quality display, featuring the iconic Shelby and Cobra snake logos.
- Under-lit display stand giving a soft illumination to the Shelby logos.
- As part of a limited production run, your display stand will be individually numbered 1–427.
- A signed and numbered certificate of authenticity.



RESERVE YOUR LIMITED EDITION NOW
$1,100 – this price includes Packs 1 – 5, including the personalised features listed above and Limited Edition Display Stand.
BUYING OPTIONS
Choose a payment option
The Agora Models flexible payment option allows you to choose over how many months you would like your model to be delivered, allowing you to spread the cost.
Choose either our Standard-Edition Model, available on a regular payment plan of 12 months or 24 months, or our Limited-Edition Collector’s Pack
Your order will be in AU$
(To change to Euro, US$ or GBP please use the country selector in the menu bar)
There’s even more to enjoy by becoming a member of the Agora Advantage Club. Simply purchasing your first model entitles you to AgoraPro-level membership, then progress to AgoraElite and AgoraMaster each time you complete an Agora model.
EXCLUSIVE BOOK
A beautifully illustrated hardback book about the Shelby Cobra
NEXT MODEL
Complimentary Pack 1 parts for your next kit
PRIORITY ACCESS
Priority access to limited editions and early alerts about new models
GUARANTEE
All our customers enjoy the experience of the Agora Guarantee
FREE Delivery in the UK

Enjoy peace of mind knowing your model is co-developed and officially approved in partnership with Shelby American Inc. who gave us exclusive access to the real car in 2019 to create our 1:8 scale model.

Our Shelby Cobra model is created using the latest 3D laser scanning, digital computer modelling and precision model engineering to recreate this authentic replica.
FREE Delivery in the UK
- Officially Licensed Product
- Full-model production guaranteed
- Authentic replica
- Agora Advantage
- Worldwide shipping

Enjoy peace of mind knowing your model is co-developed and officially approved in partnership with Shelby American Inc. who gave us exclusive access to the real car in 2019 to create our 1:8 scale model.
We will not stop production of any model ‘halfway through the series’. We won’t sell you the first part unless we are sure we can produce all the parts of the kit.

Our Shelby Cobra model is created using the latest 3D laser scanning, digital computer modelling and precision model engineering to recreate this authentic replica.
To extend our promise of unrivalled customer care, and to bring extra benefits for you to enjoy, we’re offering membership to the exclusive Agora Advantage Club.

We ship worldwide from one of our three global shipping centres (UK, USA, Australia). Simply choose your country in checkout.
COMMUNITY
The 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C

Cobra 427 History
Carroll Shelby dreamed of a special kind of sports car. He was a racing driver who took his dream forward. Having retired from racing, he persuaded British sports car specialist AC Cars to build his car, and US industry giant the Ford Motor Co. to fund it. Its name also came to him in a dream – Cobra.
As Bristol engines were no longer available for British manufacturer AC’s Ace, Shelby spotted an opportunity to fulfil his dream. He would fly the chassis to his works in the US and complete it using a Ford engine.
The Cobra was conceived as a road car – the 289, and the vast majority were sold as road cars, but it was the racing element that underpinned everything else.
The Cobra 289 was a hugely successful racing car. By mid-1963, against strong opposition, 289 Cobras had won everything worth winning in US racing and were virtually unbeatable in SCCA and USRRC Production racing. However, Shelby harboured a burning desire to beat Ferrari on the big stage, in the Sports Car Manufacturers Championship.
Despite their success on small US tracks, the European-style tracks presented a bigger challenge. The Cobra roadster simply wasn’t fast enough in a straight line to beat Ferrari.
Ken Miles, racing driver and engineer who worked with Shelby, had his eye on Ford’s 427 NASCAR engine as the ‘Ferrari-beating’ solution. However, the power and torque of this monstrous engine were more than the 289 chassis could handle. Ford’s engineering department assisted Shelby in redeveloping the Cobra platform to accommodate the V8, and the new, coil-spring chassis was built by AC in Thames Ditton.
The 427 looked essentially like the 289: the doors, boot and bonnet were the same, but it was longer, wider and had noticeably flared fenders to accommodate larger wheels and tyres. The nose was re-profiled to include a bigger main grille opening, and there was a separate scoop below the grille for the oil-cooler on Competition cars.
Shelby commissioned the first 100 427s as Competition cars to qualify for FIA acceptance into the 1965 GT category. When FIA inspectors arrived at Shelby’s premises to inspect the cars, only 51 of the requisite 100 had been completed. Homologation was denied.
Production of 427s continued as road cars.
Of the 51 Competition cars completed for the 1965 GT championships, 16 were sold to private owners to campaign in SCCA production racing. Shelby kept back enough of the remaining cars for the 1966 season ‘GT Production’ class.
By mid-1965 Shelby had a yard of around forty unsold 427 Cobras which could not be sold or raced.
Charles Beidler, Shelby’s Eastern Sales Manager, came up with a solution: to complete the rest of the Competition cars to a slightly milder specification and advertise them as the fastest production cars in the world – retaining the oil cooler, riveted hood scoop, flared fenders, side exhausts, dual lightweight batteries, 42-gallon fuel tank, and external fuel filler of full-Competition models. Windshields were fitted and the engines were detuned. They were still insanely, brutally quick, faster than many full-bore racing cars of the period, and can rightfully be considered the ultimate ‘street’ Cobra.
Thus was born the ‘Semi-Competition’ 427 Cobra. Twenty-nine of the original batch were sold as 427 S/Cs.
Record Breaker
The first car to be called a Semi-Competition was CSX3015, owned by Shelby himself and eventually coming to be known as one of two ‘ultimate’ Cobras. Starting life as a competition roadster and being reclassified as a Semi-Competition, the car was, in essence, a street legal race car, using mufflers, a windshield, and bumpers to make it pass the requisite testing needed for it to be taken on the road, but the rear end, brakes, and headers were left unchanged.
Chosen to be made the “Cobra to End All Cobras”, what CSX3015 is most notable for is the two-stage Paxton Superchargers that were placed on an experimental Edelbrock intake, and Ford T6 superduty three-speed automatic transmissions. This Super Snake Cobra quoted an output of 800 horsepower; recorded 0–60mph in 3.8 seconds, 0–100mph in 7.9 seconds, and a standing quarter mile in 11.9 seconds with a terminal speed of 116mph (186.5km/h).
Shelby made another S/C with the same engine, creating another Super Snake from CSX3303, giving it to his close friend Bill Cosby. Barely able to control it, Cosby sent it back to his friend, after which different sources provide conflicting accounts of CSX3303’s fate.
Shelby’s personal car, CSX3015 however, was used as his personal car for many years until in January 2007 the ex-Shelby ‘Super Snake’ was sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $5.5 million. At the time, it was the most expensive car auctioned that was built in the United States
Technical Specification
Car type: Two-seater sports roadster
Kerb weight: 975 kg (2,150 lbs)
Dimensions: 3.96 m (155.9 in) long, 1.72 m (67.7 in) wide, 1,24 m (48.8 in) high
Wheelbase: 2.286 m (90 in)
Power: 550 bhp
Torque: 640 Nm
Engine type: Ford Big-Block 427 V8
Displacement: 6.98 cc (427 cu in)
Transmission: Ford 4 speed manual
Layout: front, longitudinally mounted
Top speed: 165mph (265km/h)
0-100km/h: 4.5sec
0-400m: 12.2sec

Cobras at the Shelby Heritage Centre, Las Vegas. Taken on our visit in 2019.
Watch this short film that charts the US racing successes of the Shelby Cobras in 1963, their first year of serious competition.

Video This short film charts the US racing successes of the Shelby Cobras in 1963, their first year of serious competition.
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This is not a toy. Not suitable for children under 14 years old due to small parts. Adult supervision required.
WARNING: Some parts are assembled using magnets. These magnets can cause serious injury if they are swallowed. Keep away from children. If you suspect a magnet has been swallowed, seek medical help straight away.